Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-12
DETECTING THE ROBBERS.
Chief Agent Rue, of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Makes Statement,

Chief Agent Rue, of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Makes IA Statement,
PITTsBURG, April 1.-THE following
account OF the inception OF the robberies,
their detection, the mOdUS Opcrdadi OF their
execution, etc, was given by Special
Agent Joseph Rue, Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, this morning.
MIR. Rue said: "In the first place, about
two years ago locks on our cars were dis
pensed with for several reasons. Each
lock cost $3.50. They had identical keys,
allowing any of the employees to open the
ears if so disposed, and the loss by break
age of the locks by agents without keys
was an enormous item of expense. So our
present system of seals was substituted.
THE seal is OF lead, is about the size of
q fiye-Cent piece and is about One-eighth OF
an inch in thickness. The wire used in
connection with it is One-SlXteenth inch
iron wire. There are curls in it TO prevent
it's being pulled through the lead seal.
The method of using it is rs follows: The
wire is passed through the seal, then
through the hasp of the car doors, then
back through the seal again, forming an
unbrOken circle. An instrument then Is
used in impressing the seals. That in use,
say in Pittsburgh, stamps upon the inverse
side the letters 'Pg. IT, and upon the
adverse side 'P., st. h., thus indicating
that the car is intact when it enters the
p, c. 4 st. l.. Il. Il. bound westward.
The two wires are imbedded ut the same
stroke as the letters are imprinted.
This understood, | will give an idea OF
the inception of the robbery, its discovery
by the officials of the road. Eastern bound
trains are not mOleSted. Western bound
trains have been the sufferers. As near as
we can estimate it, these robberies have
been going on for two years. At first there
was timidity, and they only occurred at
long intervals, then daily growing bolder
and more general until Just lately every
train was a sufferer. We became cOgnizant
of the rObberies through claims submitted
| by New York to the road on the strength
of their Western customers allegations Of
broken packages both in bulk and IN sew
eralty, the evidence in each case being pos
tive that the packages were opened IN
transit.
I'VE were puzzled a long time by the
robberies, as our reports from Western points
showed that the seals were always seem
ingly intact. For long time we blamed
the rOustabOuts at Piers - and p In New
York, and the Dock street station at Phil
adelphia, as nearly all of our west bound
freight was put into the cars at either one
| or the other of these three places. We EN-
ployed detectives and all manner OF de-
vices, and found finally that our employees
at those points were above suspicion. As
| ! am in charge of all croOkedneSS on our
road east of Pittsburg it then became my
duty to follow the robbers up to this city.
! After most exhaustive search of the en-
tire division of the Pennsylvania Railroad
up to PittSburg, l came to the conclusion
| that the rObberieS were
! COMMITTED WEST OF PTTTSBURG.
~ then notified Mr. John Ii. Hampton,
Solicitor of the Pennsylvania Company, OF
the result of my Investigations, and went
so far rs to stake my reputation ON the
fact that the robberies were committed in
Pittsburg or west of it. | had so much
territory to cover that | requested Mr..
! Hampton to secure detective to manage
the affair-One who could cope with the
magnitude of the robberies."
"Mr. Hampton engaged Mr.. Gilkinson
to take charge of the affair and must say
that the details of tie Arrests, the discov-
cry of the stolen goods, etc, have been
managed with consummate skill. Mr..
GilkinsOn's Investigations were thorough
and it grew TO such magnitude that Mr..
Hampton telegraphed me asking my as
siStance; that has been given.
"As a result of our work for the past two
months we found that the robberies were
committed between Pittsburg and Dennis
on; that out. OF eighty crews, 75 were
practicing q gigantic scheme of robbery.
We were badly stalled at first by the fact
that the seals on the cars were generally
found intact when the cars reached COlum-
j bus on their way westward. Then CON-
menced system OF espionage on every
mile of siding between here and Dennison.
Day and night the watch continued.
Meanwhile, marked and decoy goods were
used. We found that local freight was
generally untouched; that the robberies
were committed on Union Line shipments.
Well and good.
lone dark night one of Ou1 brightest
men stumbled against the mystery Of the